Blackagar Boltagon (Earth-11584)
History "Enough..." '''Blackagar Boltagon, '''better known simply as Black Bolt, is a member of the offshoot race of humanity known as the Inhumans. A member of the Royal Family of Attilan, Black Bolt serves as the king and leader of the Inhumans. As with all members of his society, Black Bolt underwent the process known as Terrigenesis upon reaching adolesence, unlocking his full genetic potential as an Inhuman. However this process left Black Bolt with a severe handicap. His powers generate an unknown exotic particle that interacts with the environment around him, usually resulting in highly destructive sonic waves whenever he speaks aloud (since this power is tied to the speech centers of his brain). Upon discovering his powers for the first time, Black Bolt inadvertantly triggered an explosion that killed both of his parents. This trauma left him cognizant of his abilities, and motivated him to undergo the severe mental discipline needed to both control his powers as well as swear to a vow of virtual silence. At some point, Black Bolt married a fellow Inhuman named Medusa, forming a telepathic bond with her that allows her to communicate for him (when he doesn't use sign language himself). At some point he assumed the throne of his people (even over his brother, who argued that Black Bolt's inability to speak should keep him from the throne.) Like most Inhumans, Black Bolt had heard the stories of their former home on Terra, but he also had an understanding of the technological abilities of the Humans that they had run from generations prior. Rather than let humanity simply discover their city of Attilan on the moon, Black Bolt chose to open diplomatic relations with the planet Earth through SHIELD, forming a friendship and alliance with Nick Fury in the process. Eventually Black Bolt learned of the increasing number of super powered individuals on Earth, both through their own experimentation with technology and with enhancement by biological experiments (including some who used a modified version of the Terrigenesis process known as Extremis). In response, Black Bolt sent several excursions to Earth to learn more about culture their, putting these missions under the pervue of his wife, Medusa, and his younger brother Maximus. However, unbeknownst to Black Bolt, Maximus was plotting to find a way to overthrow him and install himself as the king of Attilan. Maximus used his powers of mental manipulation to take control of Medusa and several other Inhumans, using them to start a crime spree that would lead the humans to declare war on Attilan, thus forcing Black Bolt to do the same and then taking over Attilan in the chaos (or, failing that, finding a way with human technology to use his powers to take over Black Bolt's mind directly.) Maximus did sway Black Bolt to fight against the Fantastic Four briefly, but were soon undone by Medusa's sister, Crystal, discovering the extent of Maximus' plans. A brief conference with Nick Fury also told Black Bolt what was going on, and he eventually uncovered and stopped his brother's plans, making piece with the Fantastic Four afterwards. Shortly thereafter, Black Bolt was summoned to a meeting also involving Nick Fury, Reed Richards, Thaddeus Ross and Tony Stark, concerning a great disaster in the future that would befall the Earth. Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth who had called the meeting, spoke of this disaster and said that one step they needed to take was to find an answer to dealing with the Hulk. Black Bolt seemed to coorborate that story, speaking of predictions made by seers on Attilan. Black Bolt authorized the release of Vibranium that Attilan had found in Antarctica centuries earlier for the construction of a spacecraft to house the Hulk during an interplanetary journey. However, the journey did not go according to plan, and the Hulk instead landed on the planet Sakaar several years in the past from when he was sent off. Eventually the Hulk returned to Earth, stopping off at Attilan first and laying waste to much of the city, capturing Black Bolt in the process. Black Bolt, along with Mr. Fantastic, Doctor Strange and Iron Man, was going to be made to fight to the death for the amusement of the Warbound (Hulk even mentioned selling them into slavery at a place known as the Contest of Champions). However, Black Bolt and the others were eventually freed and fought against Hulk and the Warbound. Black Bolt used his voice to stun and temporarily incapacitate the Hulk, though he did not use it at full strength for fear of destroying the planet Earth. Following the events of World War Hulk, Black Bolt returned to Attilan and began rebuilding the city, as it had been partly destroyed by the Warbound Clan. It was these repairs that prevented Black Bolt and the Inhumans from participating in the fight against Thanos in the Infinity War conflict, and presumably they continue to rebuild on the moon despite the sudden appearance of a new species on Earth called mutants (created inadvertently due to time travel.) Alternate Timeline In the alternate timeline of Infinity War, Black Bolt's brother, Maximus, managed to escape in the aftermath of the Warbound Clan's attack and launched a guerilla war against the throne. Over the course of several years the Inhumans were consumed by Civil War upon the moon, only ending when Black Bolt was eventually killed by his own brother. Powers & Abilities * Electron Interaction: Black Bolt's Inhuman powers are far more specific than many of his brethren. His brain generates an unknown exotic particle that interacts with ambient electrons in the area around him with highly destructive results. The results of this electron interaction generates a number of powers, most notably his hypersonic scream, which at full power could possibly shatter planets, and at a high strength level could halt and stun the Hulk temporarily. He can also use these sonic waves to fly, increase his strength (particularly the force of his blows) and even generates a particle field that renders him immune to most forms of mind control. * Inhuman Physiology: The Terrigenesis process has left Black Bolt, as with many of his Inhuman brethren, with a higher durability, speed and strength than most normal human beings would possess. * Tuning Fork: Black Bolt wears an antenna on his head that helps him focus his powers more easily. Weaknesses Since Black Bolt's powers are tied to the speech center of his brain, any speech, no matter how minute, will trigger a destructive wave of energy through the immediate area. Through strict mental training and discipline, Black Bolt has managed to gain some modicum of control over his power, and also has trained himself to remain silent at all times. He often communicates through his wife, Medusa, or when she is not available through sign language. This mental training, as well as the traumatic experience of killing his parents accidentally, has possibly psychologically prevented Black Bolt from accessing his full potential, though this remains unclear. Film Details Black Bolt appears in the following films in the Earth-11584 continuity. In all cases he is portrayed by actor Adrien Brody. * Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) only * The Fantastic Four (2014) * The Incredible Hulk 2 (2015) * Captain America: Civil War (2016) only * World War Hulk (2017) * Avengers: Infinity (2019) only Category:Earth-11584 Category:Earth-11584 Characters Category:Good Characters